The fire at at 2915 S. 800 E. in Washington Township has been ruled accidental.
“The fire started on the west side of the house around a wood burner and that’s what caused the fire,” said Fred Sumpter from the Indiana State Fire Marshal’s Office. “The burner was positioned around the center portion of the house.”
Sumpter said his investigation into the incident is now complete.
Washington Township Assistant Fire Chief, Dave Pearman, tells us who owned the home.
“The home was actually owned by Gary Peterson,” said Pearman. “He was visiting his son who had actually been living there now. They had a friend there, too.”
Pearman also has this reminder for the winter season.
“People who are using wood burning apparatus’ in their homes really need to inspect that and clean that equipment when we start the season like this. We’ve had a fairly warm fall so a lot of people are starting to burn much hotter fires. It’s very significant thing to make sure you get done.”
